Singaporereans:Are you happy with your current PAY?

Question

Everything here is so expensive,every things has increase,even coffee.But not your pay,in fact alot of them has thier pay cut instead.
One of my friend works in a company for more than 10 years,recently got his pay cut by $500.The management says that if you do not agreed,we will send you overseas for assignment.They were saying,I can employ someone younger than you,do the same type of work at a lower pay.In fact they will ask you what will you do if you are in thier position.
Another fact is,local xxxx keep employing foriegn workers to replaced Singaporeans jobs,these ppl really getting much lower pay.Not forgetting they no need to pay for mortgage but we do!!!
Higher management level are getting many times more than thier workers.What is your opion?
Pls give me facts not nonsence.Thanks

Everything here is so expensive,every things has increase,even coffee.But not your pay,in fact alot of them has thier pay cut instead.
One of my friend works in a company for more than 10 years,recently got his pay cut by $500.The management says that if you do not agreed,we will send you overseas for assignment.They were saying,I can employ someone younger than you,do the same type of work at a lower pay.In fact they will ask you what will you do if you are in thier position.
Another fact is,local xxxx keep employing foriegn WORKERS to replaced Singaporeans jobs,these ppl really getting much lower pay.Not forgetting they no need to pay for mortgage but we do!!!
Higher management level are getting many times more than thier workers.What is your opion?
Pls give me facts not nonsence.Thanks

I need real Singaporeans answers than those reply me with restrictions(what they want to say but dare not to say)This is just Chat only.

Answer 1

yes

Answer 2

To everyone....pay is never enough. I believe even the Ministers in Singapore would welcome more pay.

Across the world, everyone is experiencing increase in prices, but to inflation and rising fuel costs. In order to increase profits, many companies are cutting costs (including decreasing salaries or retrenching).

To remain competitive in the World arena, Singapore must keep costs low to attract foreign investments (and this includes wages). More jobs will be created if there are more investments.

As for foreign workers (Foreign Talents), I believe needs more foreigners in occupation like Cleaners, Waiters / Waitress, Sales Assistants etc....However, I believe Singapore has a sustainable supply of middle to higher management employees and professionals. I am really dis-heartened to see Singaporeans venturing overseas to teach English, work as Nurses or manage companies while, here in Singapore, we are employing foreigners to fill the space.

I feel that the "Skilled Migration" term has been taken, most literally by most Singaporeans (even quasi-government sectors...e.g. telco companies) and are subjected to abuse in Singapore.

To remain competitive, I guess many Singaporeans have to forgo their "Wants" and just focus on their "Needs". If foreign workers can have savings after spending on food, transport and lodging...so why can't Singaporeans.

Cheers....n hope we see some changes soon...

Answer 3

As a Singaporean, I'll dare not comment on my pay but only to be happy to have a job. Presently, the trend is, Singapore all along lack of entrepreneurs, in order to solve this problem the government have to encourage employers to bring in foreigners at cheaper cost to do a job. Even the top and very top management are also affected, they are more worried than the lower rank staff. Thus, this is one way to force Singaporeans to become an entrepreneurs, in order to earn more.

Answer 4

Haha.. your question blew me off.. simply because of the fact tat there are so many Singaporeans who are HAPPY with their current pay! I would have expected all answers to say NO...

My opinion that the cost of living has gone up and it is really now not as easy as before to get a cushy job with a huge salary as most employers pay peanuts but expect to get tarzan and not monkey..

However, how much we earn is entirely up to us. I mean, we cannot control how the managements in various company would think. We canont control their decision to hire more foreign workers and we cannot control what the govt do as well.

We can however control how much we wnat to earn and whether we want to get out of our comfort zone.

I run a part time business and earn a stable four figure income. That's not very much but I decide how much I earn and dun have to keep wondering why the government doesnt do this and why teh management does that.

I guess it is our choice whether or not we want to be happy with our pay and if we are not happy, what do we want to do about it.

Answer 5

Hi,
I guess that most Singaporeans are not happy about their pay. Well, i feel that the government is trying to make us be competitive by bringing in more foreign talents. I guess they are urging us to upgrade ourself in anyway that we can.

Its true that we are facing a lot of challenge from foreigners but if we are to chase them away, the company won't be having competitive staffs and that would drop the productivity rate and thus creating a chain of event that would eventually cause our economy to suffer. Foreign talent also mean cheaper labour actually.

At the end of day, i think we should see foreigners as a challenge as tell ourself that this is Singapore, we must rule and thus improving our self to ensure that we run the show not them. No offence to foreigners.

Answer 6

Not only that the pay is low! They will even give nonsense excuses to take away your benefit n even your bonuses!Do Singaporean know why all this happen because all these bosses are supported by Singapore big big big big "BOSS"This big "BOSS" say without all these bosses Singaporean will be jobless so they can do what ever they want.When all these bosses make money only this big "BOSS"benefit from them not the workers.Workers don't have a say in Singapore!

Answer 7

i do agree with you. a person who had paid so much for their education till the degree level only earninig a minimum of 1800 a month. and the others who have only a diploma get the same.. what about that in the child educator factor... we work 12 hours a day and 5 days a week, each child pays 600 and the school, which are the employers get all the profit.

Answer 8

I am happy with my current salary, mainly because I'm content with what little pay I get. For the number of hours I put into work, my pay justifies my efforts and experience garnered. And mind you, I don't earn a lot. Just enough to feed myself and my aging parents.

But I do empathize with everyone who has gotten a pay cut because of overwhelming intrusion by non Singaporeans. It's difficult to sustain a 'normal' lifestyle in Singapore with the current paycheck that every regular Singaporean is getting these days, let alone a humiliating and demoralising pay cut.

Then again, we also need to recognise that a 'normal' lifestyle in Singapore isn't exactly defined the same way as how non- Singaporeans would. I admire the fact that Malaysians who work in Singapore are willing to cut back on spendings and a lavish lifestyle when they are working here. They scrimp and save because every penny saved helps finance their house mortgage back home or helps to put their younger siblings through school. If we are willing to adopt a similar lifestyle as these Malaysians, there's really nothing much to complain about.

Besides, I also understand where the employers are coming from. If you were an employer, wouldn't you consider the most cost-effective methods of production as well? The problem doesn't lie with the employers, it lies with the myriad available labour market in Singapore.

And if you are a minister of Singapore, wouldn't you source for the most attractive incentive packages for foreign investors and local budding entreprenuers? Don't forget, we don't have ANY natural resource except for labour resource. If I were a minister, I would invite foreigners to work here too because I can help investors and entreprenuers keep the labour cost low. And mind you, the corporate tax collected by the government isn't for ferris wheels and personal entertainment. Every cent is pumped back to sustain our local economy.

I feel quite embarrassed by the incessant complaints and grievances aired by Singaporeans because we are an 'educated' nation and we constantly boast about our high level of literacy. But our complaints reflect our low level of comprehension. Our views are too myopic and self-centred and it's important to look at each situation from the macro level rather than at an egocentric manner.

We Singaporeans need to ask ourselves the most imperative question: Are we willing to take on a lifestyle and working conditions as the non Singaporeans? We need to quit complaining and finally get back to real work, as our predecessors had led us by example. What happened to Singapore's industrious attitude in the 1960s - 1980s where having a decent job was all Singaporeans ever asked for? Have we decided to let our hair down and rest on our laurels now that we are trumpeting about our 'Developed Nation' status? We need to constantly remind ourselves that no one owes us a living, much less our government.

Answer 9

not only the pay , basically not happy with everything else here .I was born , grew up and studied here so it is actually very sad and painful for me to say these to my own homeland . If one day , there is a chance will leave here and seek for better land . sign.... guess this is also wat many singaporean's thinking . At least this is wat i always heard from people around me .

The other day while having lunch at a hawker centre , overheard what this middle-aged uncle said to his friends , " only poor people like us still staying here , those who are rich and educated already all run to other countries liao lo ... "

Answer 10

Personal point of view, I am quite happy with my current pay as compared to standard of living here. The ratio comparison is quite reasonable. Apart from that, we're paying the lowest personal tax rate in Asia region. Over all, everything is taken care by our goverment, we have Medisave, CPF, HDB, most of all even our babies is being taken care off....what else can we ask for?

Answer 11

No.

Agree that it's usually the mid to low wage workers who get paycuts while higher management seem to be able to maintain their salary n perks.